Give the Gift of Clean Air

The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) is asking residents to help public health during the cold days leading into our Holiday Season.

To minimize the amount of air pollution generated while families are at home celebrating the holidays, ORCAA asks residents to voluntarily refrain from burning yard waste debris and to minimize their use of wood stoves, fireplaces, and pellet stoves.

ORCAA asks residents to reduce all activities that contribute to air pollution – including burning yard waste – as well as minimizing the use of their woodstoves or fireplaces and, when those appliances are used, to make sure they are burning cleanly and efficiently.

Here are some other things people can do to help protect the air we breathe:

  • When possible, do not use any woodstove or fireplace.
  • Always use your woodstove or fireplace properly to ensure the cleanest burning possible. Remember that excess smoke is always illegal. To learn more about clean-burning techniques and to find a current list of certified woodstoves and fireplaces, visit www.www.orcaa.org and click on the “Woodstoves” links in the left menu bar.
  • Delay burning yard waste until weather conditions allow better air quality. Or compost that yard waste instead of burning it. Composting does not affect air quality and provides you with a rich source of organic fertilizer for your yard and garden next spring.
  • Limit your driving as much as possible, since vehicles are a big source of air pollution year-round. Check air-quality forecasts and current conditions at www.www.orcaa.org. The current and forecasted air-quality conditions are available via the links on the right.

To learn about the health effects of air pollution, check out the American Lung Association of Washington’s Web site at www.alaw.org. To find the latest on the status of burn restrictions within ORCAA’s six-county region, visit www.www.orcaa.org.

 

 

News

Media Contact

Dan Nelson

Communications/Outreach Manager

360-539-7610